TAMPA, FL- Thursday, November 20 was National Smokeout Day. Since the 1970’s, the American Cancer Society has encouraged community members to hold anti-smoking events on the third Thursday of November each year. The Lung Institute held a smokeout event on Franklin Street, just outside of Lykes Gaslight Square Park. Volunteers spread awareness about the dangers of cigarette smoking and helped people make a plan to quit smoking not only for that day, but for life.

Citizens of downtown Tampa passing through the park stopped to talk about the smokeout. They were given hot cocoa, as well as prizes like lung-shaped stress balls and bubbles to take home with them. Many told stories about how they reached a smoke free life, and others are still struggling to quit. The Lung Institute presented them with a challenge: blow up a pink balloon and a black balloon at the same time. The pink balloon was easy to blow up and represented healthy lungs, while the black balloon was difficult to inflate (a water balloon), and represented unhealthy, black lungs.

People who stopped at the event also pledged to quit smoking, and if they were non-smokers, they pledged to never start. The American Cancer Society has really come a long way and continues to make more of an impact each year. The Lung Institute, an advocate for treating chronic pulmonary conditions that could be caused by smoking, supports the American Cancer Society in this ongoing endeavor. WUSF came to cover the event and asked questions about the Lung Institute’s efforts.

“This is the first year that we’ve participated in the Smokeout, and I think it was an overall success.” Aaron Riney, Creative Director of the Lung Institute, said, “We will definitely participate again next year.”

Employees from the Lung Institute also informed members of the community about vaping, a new trend among Americans. These smokers think they are doing less harm to their bodies by using E-cigarettes. This however, is a fallacy and needs to be addressed accordingly. There are many different routes to take when trying to quit smoking, and vaping is not a healthy one.

About the Lung Institute

At the Lung Institute, we are changing people’s lives across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive cellular therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at 888-745-6697.

* Every patient is given a Patient Satisfaction Survey shortly after treatment. Responses to the 11-question survey are aggregated to determine patient satisfaction with the delivery of treatment.

^ Quality of Life Survey data measured the patient’s self-assessed quality of life and measurable quality of improvement at three months of COPD patients.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

As required by Texas state law, the Lung Institute Dallas Clinic has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from MaGil IRB, now Chesapeake IRB, which is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP), for research protocols and procedures. The Lung Institute has implemented these IRB approved standards at all of its clinics nationwide. Approval indicates that we follow rigorous standards for ethics, quality, and protections for human research.

Privacy & Security Practices

The Lung Institute takes patient privacy seriously. The law requires that our healthcare facilities and medical personnel protect the privacy of your medical record and other health information We are also required to notify you of our privacy practices with regard to your Protected Health Information. This Privacy & Security Notice explains how your medical information is protected under HIPAA and HITECH laws and how your information may be used, disclosed, and accessed.

Internet Privacy Disclosure

The Information We Collect: The Lung Institute collects information by various methods including information actively provided by its lead providers, customers and information arising from customer surveys and general feedback. The types of personal information we collect include name, contact information, identification information, credit information and other data types as appropriate. Credit card information is used for billing purposes only.

We may record calls to or from our patient coordinators/customer service representatives for purposes of accuracy, performance reviews, training and general quality assurance.

How We Use This Information: This information is used to aid in the provision of our various products and services, including customer service, accounting, billing, collections and the marketing of other products and services. The Lung Institute may use aggregate or anonymous information for various uses for itself and third parties.

Who We Share This Information With: The Lung Institute does not share personal information with any third parties except as disclosed in this policy. The Lung Institute may provide personal information to the Lung Institute's subcontractors and professional advisers (which shall be bound by privacy obligations) to assist the Lung Institute's uses disclosed herein.
Security Personal information is stored in a combination of paper and electronic files. They are protected by security measures appropriate to the nature of the information.

Accessing Information: Individuals may review their personal information contained in the Lung Institute's files by contacting the Lung Institute's privacy officer. If an individual believes that any of their personal information is inaccurate, we will make appropriate corrections.

Cookies:Cookies are used by the Lung Institute for the convenience of our users. Cookies automatically authenticate the user. A user can access the Lung Institute's website with the cookie feature turned off. However, in doing so they may find themselves challenged for username and password information on multiple occasions. The Lung Institute also uses cookies to track user’s visits and uses that information to improve the user’s experience.

Links: The Lung Institute's website may contain links to information at other websites. When you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policy may differ from ours.

Telephone Numbers and Calls: By providing your telephone number to the Lung Institute on this contact form, you acknowledge and agree that you may receive a telephone call from the Lung Institute, at the number you provided on the online form, to receive information regarding the treatments offered at the Lung Institute. Such telephone calls may be placed by an automatic telephone dialing system and/or may contain prerecorded messages. By providing your mobile number to the Lung Institute, you further acknowledge and agree that you may receive text messages (SMS) from the Lung Institute at the number you provided to the Lung Institute. Protected Health Information will not be requested by the Lung Institute, if you choose to respond with Protected Health Information you agree to release the Lung Institute from any liability related to such disclosure. Be advised that any telephone calls and/or text messages are strictly informational and/or transactional in nature. the Lung Institute therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of email messages, or any responding emails that contain confidential patient information, which arise as a result of email transmission. This statement is required by Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. Sections 2510-2521

General:The Lung Institute may amend this policy from time to time. If such amendments affect how the Lung Institute uses or discloses personal information already held by the Lung Institute in a material way, the Lung Institute will obtain consent.

Notwithstanding the general terms of this policy, the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be made outside of the terms herein to the extent provided for in any applicable privacy or other legislation in effect from time to time.
The Lung Institute may disclose personal information to another entity purchasing (including for diligence purposes prior to purchase) the assets of the Lung Institute, provided that entity abide